Kia GT4 Stinger Concept: Kia Has Motorsports On Its Mind

Kia GT4 Stinger Concept: Motorsports On Kia's Mind

Considering Kia claims there is no current plan to put the Stinger into production, and the company doesn’t have access to a rear-drive platform of this size, the concept rides on a custom chassis. But it sounds like it’s a nice custom chassis, with a four-corner double-wishbone independent suspension, 15-inch Brembo brakes, and a pleasant 52-percent front, 48-percent rear weight balance. To help keep the car’s weight down, Kia stripped the interior of nearly everything that doesn’t directly have to do with driving the car. There’s no radio, no carpeting (the floor is covered in a Honda Element–like rubberized coating), and the door pulls are racy suede straps poking out of the door panels. A simple and futuristic-looking LED-lit gauge cluster floats above the steering column, and it places the tach front and center, relegating speed info to a central digital readout. A pair of sweet sport seats and a chunky three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel finish off the purposeful interior.

The GT4 Stinger throws the hypothetical gauntlet at the BRZ/FR-S with its engine, however, which boasts 315 horsepower and a turbocharger. It might not have the center-of-gravity-aiding low profile of the flat-four powering the Japanese coupes, but we think an extra 115 horsepower is a pretty decent tradeoff. Best of all, the direct-injected 2.0-liter turbo four actually exists in Hyundai/Kia’s portfolio already. Even better than that? Kia says that this same engine, converted for racing specification in its Pirelli World Challenge Optima sedans, makes a whopping 400 horsepower. Uh, yes, please.

In fact, speaking of Kia’s racing efforts, the automaker is quite proud of its success in Grand-Am with its Forte Koups and Pirelli World Challenge with the aforementioned Optimas—so much so that it feels an enthusiast special like the GT4 Stinger is a natural depository for the brand’s engineering resources. We must admit, we’re all for it, especially given how increasingly excellent Kia’s products have become in recent years. The one thing most of those cars are still missing, however, is the kind of chassis tuning and handling harmony that makes, say, a Mazda such a joy to drive. As the chief designer at Kia’s California studios puts it, “If anyone were to ask if Kia has the credibility to build a car like the GT4 Stinger . . . I would simply point out that Kia races—and wins—against some of the world’s most legendary performance brands.”

Is that a bit headstrong, especially for a company that still farms out the majority of its race-car construction to a third party (Kinetic Motorsports)? Sure, but color us excited to see Kia getting eager to cater to driving enthusiasts and let its performance-bragging flag fly. Lately, Kia has been trying to increase its enthusiast cred with efforts like the 2014 Forte5 SX Turbo and the release of a limited-production, up-level Rio5 SX with a manual transmission. But these are small potatoes compared to a full-blown sports car. Please build this one, Kia, for us.